Purpose :
Mucins are considered the first line of defense for the conjunctiva and protect the underlying epithelium by entrapping bacteria and preventing bacterial invasion. We previously demonstrated that pathogenic S. aureus activates the NLRP3 inflammasome in conjunctival goblet cells, resulting in secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β and mucins. The following studies were performed to determine if NLRP3 inflammasome activation is required for S. aureus-induced mucin secretion and if this secretion is dependent upon the release of mature IL-1β.

Conclusions :
Goblet cell-derived mature IL-1β mediates S.aureus-induced mucin secretion by increasing intracellular [Ca2+] and activating ERK1/2. Moreover, the S. aureus-induced production of mature IL-1β is dependent upon the triggering of both NLRP3 and TLR2 expressed on goblet cells. These data reveal the pluripotent activities of goblet-cell-derived IL-1β induced by pathogenic S. aureus, an inducer of immune cell recruitment that clears pathogens and inducer of mucin secretion that enhances the ocular surface barrier to infection.

This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.